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Topic: Kenmore Fridge Not Staying Cool (Read 5925 times)

This morning the freezer was at -12 F and the fridge was close to 50 F, while the house is about 75.

I have determined that the all the major components are working, or the freezer wouldnít be that cold.

I removed the panel that holds the two temperature controls, one each for the freezer and the fridge. On the right is the dampener arm connected to the freezer control. The arm is not broken, as far as I can tell, and moves back and forth freely with the turning of the dial. On the left is the temp control dial for the fridge. This does not have a dampener arm attached to it, but instead is connected to a bunch of wires and relays. It also turns freely, and I can hear a ďclickĒ when it turns the temp off and on.

I did have one question that puzzles me: Excuse my ignorance, but shouldnít the dampener arm being going to the fridge dial, not the freezer dial? Did someone put this together wrong? From a laymanís point of view, wouldnít you want a lever to regular a dampener that controls how much air flows into the fridge from the freezer? Iím sure Iím wrong about this, but it puzzles me.

Further stuff. I dragged the fridge out and removed the cardboard panel at the bottom. The fan down there is blowing just fine (I assume this works like a radiator fan, cooling the components and aiding in cooling the fridge). There is very little dirt or dust down there. The rest of the fridge back is taken up by a solid aluminum panel that is riveted in place. I see no way to remove this. Therefore, if there is any checking of blockages or ice buildup, it would probably have to be done from the front, through the fridge door, not the back of the unit.

There is very little evidence of frost or ice buildup either in the freezer or fridge compartment.

At this point, Iím stumped. Something is blocking the flow of air from freezer to fridge, but I donít know what. Any more ideas?

If not, I think at this point I need a professional tech for this job. Any idea how to find a good one? Iím going to cancel Sears, but donít know how to find a good fridge tech. Iíve had bad luck with Craigslist in the past on other repairs.

The area between the upper and lower sections can freeze up and choke off air to the bottom. Unplug the frig and let it thaw out for a week and see if it starts cooling ok. Slab of ice between compartments. Seen it.

« Last Edit: July 17, 2013, 01:13:02 PM by JWWebster »

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Shut the refrigerator off. Take out the floor of the freezer. There are two screws up close to the front. Next remove the rear wall of the freezer. You will see the screws. Open the lower door so the light will come on. Now you need to get your head into the freezer so you can see down the three holes that allow air to move between the compartments. I bet they are full of ice. This refrigerator has a habit of the defrost drain freezing shut and the water has to find somewhere to go so it will run down the air holes until they freeze shut. If this is the problem use a hair dryer to clear the holes, but also clear the defrost drain so it won't happen again. But worry about that after you take it apart to see if this is indeed the problem.

I have that same model in my kitchen. Did the same dang thang ice in the holes between the 2 compartments.

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May the hinges of our friendship never grow rusty.

About the icons: The beer is tip link, if a tech saves ya some money buy em a 6 pack. The small green square=personal message. The green dot is a link to my web page on appliance repair and other general BS I love to post. The letter sends me email.I love fan letters! LOL

Bailey, thanks. Can this be done from the FRONT of the freezer? The whole upper part of the rear of the fridge is covered by a thick aluminum plate. If from the front, I'm totally game.

I just looked and I see the two bolt heads near the front on the bottom of the freezer floor. Is the defrost drain you mentioned easy to find and clearly visible? I assume it must be right under where the plastic floor of the freezer compartment sits, towards the rear?

BTW, is there an easy place online to buy a service manual for this model, if I decide to do so, as perhaps a PDF download?

Webster, thanks again to you as well. If I find ice there, do you think it would thaw out in 3-4 days in warm SoCal weather with the freezer floor removed? Or, as Bailey said, I could speed it up with a hair dryer perhaps. Anyway, thanks so very much.